Page 30 of The Chains You Defy

My eyes rested firmly on Dion’s sleeping form, and I didn’t mind I was watching him like a creep. Maybe because his presence anchored me in reality.

Whatever the reason was, I couldn’t tear my gaze away while my mind forced me to sort through my conflicted emotions for the man—no, male—at my side.

If I were completely honest, the burning anger born from his deception had simmered down and left a torturing hurt behind, different from the one I’d endured in Perran Feroy’s dungeon. Still, somehow, his betrayal was more painful. The insecurity, whether Dion had intentionally misled me or if his actions had been without malicious intent, drove tears into my eyes.

Yes, he’d saved my life again, but how could I find out if his reasons had been pure? Had he rescued me because he considered me his friend, even after I’d broken my promise, or had he searched for me because I was his Amplifier and thus a source of greater power for him? And even if he assured me, when we’d speak about everything in the upcoming days, that coming for me had been because of our friendship, how could I trust this wasn’t another lie?

All this would have been enough to paralyze me with anxiety, but there was also the fact that Dion was responsible for the eradication of a whole city while following the orders of his insane grandfather, the fae king, and no matter how I twisted and turned my thoughts, there wasn’t a single scenario I could conjure that would justify such evil actions. And yes, Dion’s morals were more than questionable most of the time, but as far as I’d witnessed, he had at least some restraint. But his activities from before we’d met indicated otherwise, and maybe I’d simply kept a blind eye on how depraved he really was.

Silently, a sigh escaped my lips, and Dion tensed. My eyes widened as I stilled, not ready to face him yet. My tendril was stirring too, and the rest of the prince’s magic reached out to me unseen, fusing with the strange Potential I was housing in my soul. This mingling should scare me, but it did the opposite. Every time his powers connected with mine, there was nothing but safety and warmth accompanying the sensation.

My forehead wrinkled as I realized that something was off.

Earlier, when he’d carried me out of the dungeon cell, I’d been too stunned to see him to notice that the darkness reaching out to me was only a trickle compared to what its strength had been directly after the rite.

Was this normal? Had the energy only felt strong because of an aftereffect of the Rite of Binding, or—what if the male next to me wasn’t well? He didn’t show any sign of injury or discomfort, but given how good he was at concealing truths, I wouldn’t rule out an attempt to mislead me.

Cold sweat broke out all over my skin as I kept my gaze locked on him, and when Dion’s eyes fluttered open, he was sleep-drunk. Still, he needed only a moment to shake away the remnants of his slumber, and his relaxed face morphed into worry. He drew his eyebrows together as he examined my expression.

“You’re awake.”

“Yes. What’s wrong with your magic?”

It was fascinating to survey how quickly Dion’s features could transform into a scowl.

Great, he’d just woken up and was already displeased.

“Nothing. But how are you?”

“Nothing?” I raised my eyebrow. “I thought you were done lying to me?”

“Can we wait to fight until I know how you are? Please?”

Huffing, I nodded. Dion rarely asked nicely for anything, let alone used the wordplease, so I decided to take the high road for once. “I’m mostly fine. There’s some pressure on my chest. Guess there was indeed something wrong with my rib? Apart from that, I’m somewhat sore, but the pain is dull and manageable.”

“I’m going to kill that vile merchant.”

“Impressive. Not even five minutes awake, and you already issued your first death threat of the day, princeling.” Sometimes, all I could do was try to defuse him with humor. Maybe that had been my mistake—I’d overlooked his depravity because I hadn’t taken him seriously enough. However, there had been an interesting piece of information in his dark warning—Feroy was still alive, and I sensed how much Dion hated this. Knowing him and his barely existent restraint, I wondered what had stopped him from unleashing his murderoustendencies on the man he’d deemed unworthy of life, even long before the merchant had kidnapped me.

“I’m serious.”

“What’s wrong with your magic?”

“Why do you think there’s a problem?”

“No matter how loud you growl, you can’t hide that your power is reaching out to me, but the energy appears to be dimmed.”

Dion glowered as if he felt betrayed by his magic, and I had to stifle a giggle at his expression.

There was a time for laughter, but this wasn’t the right one.

“After you…left the library in Amalach, I shoved the book I’d been reading into my bag and followed you. Taking items from the building to the outside without authorization triggered a defense system, and three Library Guardians appeared. Think about something akin to mystical dragons, but uglier. They can sap magic, are strong, immune to pain, and so I almost burned out as I fought for survival. I got hurt, and afterward, my power didn’t replenish properly. Antas’ guess is that there was a residue of divine magic in my system, which battled my own powers because we separated so early after the ceremony. Now that we’re close together again, I’m constantly improving. So yes, that’s what happened, and maybe you understand why I didn’t want to mention any of this shit so soon.”

“Gods.” Basically, Dion had been hurt—still was—and he’d been out of magic for weeks. Because of me, he’d almost burned out, which would have equated to a death sentence. Regret cut like a knife, slicing deep into me as the consequences of my stupid actions continued to pile up. “I’m sorry.”

“I’d ask you to promise never to do something that brainless again, but I have serious trust issues, and my best guess is that they’re mutual.”

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, then nodded. “I deserve that. A wrong never corrects another wrong. We both messed up. But would you believe me when I assured you that I came to reason all on my own? Outside Amalach, as I calmed down, I regretted my impulsive actions and that I’d broken my promise. I was so angry at myself for acting rashly.”